Bulgaria’s Parliament rejects second motion of no confidence in Zhelyazkov Cabinet
Bulgaria’s Parliament voted on April 17 to reject the second motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov’s Cabinet.
The motion was tabled by the 51st National Assembly’s second-smallest group, populist-nationalist Mech, on what it called the government’s failure to combat corruption.
In the 240-seat House, in a re-vote in which 202 MPs participated, the result was 72 for and 130 against. It would have required 121 or more votes in favour for the motion of no confidence to have been approved.
Those voting in favour of the motion were pro-Russian party Vuzrazhdane (33), Mech (11), populist-nationalist Velichie (nine) and the Ahmed Dogan loyalists of the Democracy Rights and Freedoms (DRF) group (19), which a few days earlier withdrew its support for the government on the grounds of the influence of Magnitsky Act-sanctioned Delyan Peevski.
Those voting against were Boiko Borissov’s GERB-UDF (66), Peevski’s Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning (28), the Bulgarian Socialist Party – United Left (19) and populist ITN (17).
No MP from Parliament’s second-largest group, the reformist We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria coalition, cast a vote, just as on April 3 – when the first motion of no confidence was defeated – WCC-DB had not voted.
Earlier on April 17, Borissov, referring to the withdrawal of support of DRF, said that the Zhelyazkov Cabinet would remain in office as a minority government and would rely on floating majorities in Parliament to push through its proposals.
“The benchmarks ahead for the euro zone, the Recovery Plan, the fight against corruption, the laws that are being adopted are very clear to us,” Borissov said.
“Yesterday, it was no coincidence that I thanked the WCC and DB for not involving themselves in the vote, because you cannot declare support for the euro zone, for European development and work together with Vuzrazhdane, Mech, Velichie,” he said.
“Yesterday, Eurostat showed that we meet the inflation criteria, in other words, nothing can divert me from the path of getting you into the euro zone,” Borissov said.
Peevski, responding to opposition claims that he is running the government, told reporters on April 17 that he supports “the government doing good things for the people”.
“We are not involved in the government and we will not be involved,” Peevski said.
He described the votes of no confidence and the people tabling them as “useless”.
WCC-DB co-leader Kiril Petkov reiterated that the group would table a motion of no confidence in the government when the date is set for Bulgaria’s admission to the euro zone. The WCC-DB stance is that it does not want to prejudice Bulgaria joining the euro zone by voting the government out now.
Petkov, responding to a BSP – United Left call for WCC-DB to join the ruling majority, said that WCC-DB would not become part of the government.
“At this moment, in this configuration and this marriage that Peevski and Borissov have, I don’t see a real way,” he said.
Petkov said that the current government likely would not fall, not even from WCC-DB’s own no-confidence vote, “because Peevski is holding it up”.
At the conclusion of voting on April 17, Speaker Natalia Kiselova issued a reminder that a motion of no confidence may not be tabled on the same grounds in less than six months from now.
Velichie leader Ivelin Mihailov told reporters that his party intended tabling a motion of confidence two weeks from now. He did not say on which grounds.
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